November 30, 2011

Angelica Rozeanu

Angelica Rozeanu of Romania was World Women's Singles Champion six straight years, 1950-56 - and believe it or not, she was the last European to win that title! (The Worlds were held annually through 1957, every two years since then.) From 1957 to present, women from China won it 19 times, Japan seven times (all the titles from 1956-69 except the 1961 win by Giu Zhonghui of China), and three times by Korea (Pak Yung Sun of North Korea in 1975 and 1977, and Hyun Jung Hwa of South Korea in 1993). China has won six in a row, 12 of the last 13, and 14 of the last 16.

So how good was Rozeanu, a hardbat chopper, who also won Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles at the Worlds three times each? Judge for yourself in this video (4:51) from the late 1950s when she was at her peak.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Table Tennis Players

I wrote this a while back, but I was thinking about it recently during the Teams, since it seems to fit the profiles of so many top players. Does it fit you?

Table Tennis Tactics: A Thinker's Guide

I'm 67,000 words into the first draft, with 18.5 of 20 chapters completed. (I've also done the Introduction, Glossary, and yep, even About the Author.)  I'm halfway through the chapter on Hardbat Tactics (yep, I'm doing that!) and haven't started Mental Tactics (tactics to get yourself into the right frame of mind to play your best). Soon I'll be going over all my past articles to see if there are more items I should add. Here are some excerpts:

Opening to chapter on Tactical Thinking:

"What are tactics? Tactical thinking is how you figure out the best way to use what you have to win. Pretty simple, right?

"The goal of tactics is to mess up your opponent. That's all there is to it.

"Tactical thinking is a habit. Many highly intelligent people are not good tactical players because they never developed the habit. And I've seen some not-too-bright people who were good tactical players because, yes, they spent a lot of time watching and observing, and learned what to do to maximize their games - and so became very good tactical players.

"Tactical thinking takes place in five settings: Between tournaments, after matches, before matches, between games, between points, and during practice. The one time you don'tthink is during points."

Opening to chapter on Strategic Thinking:

"Strategic thinking is how you develop the tools you will use tactically. If you don't have the proper tools, you can't get the job done. It's like having a nail and a screwdriver - wrong tools."

Here's the tentatively final table of contents:

  • Introduction
  • Chapter One               Tactical Thinking
  • Chapter Two               Strategic Thinking
  • Chapter Three             All About Spin
  • Chapter Four               Your Tactical Game
  • Chapter Five                Beginning Tactics
  • Chapter Six                  Conventional and Non-Conventional Tactics
  • Chapter Seven             Service Tactics
  • Chapter Eight               Receive Tactics
  • Chapter Nine                Rallying Tactics
  • Chapter Ten                 Different Grips
  • Chapter Eleven             Pushing
  • Chapter Twelve             Loopers
  • Chapter Thirteen           Blockers, Counter-Drivers, and Hitters
  • Chapter Fourteen         Choppers
  • Chapter Fifteen             Fishers and Lobbers
  • Chapter Sixteen            Non-Inverted Surfaces
  • Chapter Seventeen       Hardbat Tactics
  • Chapter Eighteen          Doubles Tactics
  • Chapter Nineteen          Mental Tactics
  • Chapter Twenty            Tournament Tactics
  • Glossary
  • About the Author
  • Index

The Ping-Pong Workout - on FOX News!

Yes, they did a special on table tennis and fitness (2:21, starts with a 30-sec commercial), and concluded that it was good for fitness. Almost makes me want to vote Republican. :)

Table tennis going to the dogs

This tailless dog just wants to join in, while this one actually does join in, though I think you lose the point if your non-playing paw touches the table.

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